Tonia Brinston

Tonia is a retired Chef who began her career with Lutheran Social Service in 2016 as a Financial Educator. She transitioned her financial coaching and education experience to support the 2018 Black Women’s Wealth Academy. As part of a Financial Education team, she led over 300 workshops each year, teaches the Four Cornerstones of Financial Literacy and Train the Trainer. She has dedicated much of her career as a Community Resource Specialist with a background in Multicultural Aspects of Human Services and specialized training’s in Home-buyer Education and Small Business Management. Tonia is currently a Career Coach and Financial Educator at Twin Cities Rise where she transforms lives by supporting community members in achieving meaningful employment, teaches the Four Cornerstones of Financial Literacy and other general financial education workshops.

With roots in Saint Paul (The Rondo Community) Tonia has also walked-the-walk in her own journey with conquering debt and wealth-building and she is now a proud homeowner in North Minneapolis. She cultivates and maintains relationships with key community partners to ensure utilization of quality financial services. She is a Finance & Commerce 2018 Top Women in Finance award winner and is committed to working every day to pay it forward by developing new and innovative approaches to engage community members to move the needle surrounding financial wellness. She is a gifted presenter who has the ability to captivate audiences in a fun and interactive environment.

“Throughout my career in presenting financial education workshops, I often received feedback from community members surrounding Payday loans and how they felt like the loans were a debt trap. One day I came back to the office and shared this feedback with my supervisor. And that is when I was first made aware of Exodus Lending and what the exceptional work that they do. From that day forward, if Exodus Lending was not a part of my presentation it certainly was a part of my conversation. Fast forward to present day and an email introduction to Sara by Kenya McKnight at the Black Women’s Wealth Alliance and the stars just lined up. Exodus Lending’s mission lines up with my passion in giving community members the tools and resources to create lasting financial wellness.”

Who is one person who inspires you and why?

Well there’s more than just one, and that is my 21 grandchildren. They are the reason why I’m so passionate about building Generational Wealth and paying it forward!

You Can Help

Be a part of changing someone’s life. Every volunteer and financial donation empowers the community to achieve financial freedom.